Since the release of Yakuza 0 in the United States four years ago, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been hard at work bringing new life to its classic action saga that originally released exclusively on PS2 and PS3, and expanding the audience to new platforms. We’ve since seen excellent remakes of Yakuza 1 and 2, and with the recent release of the Yakuza Remastered Collection – which packs together remasters of Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 – it’s never been easier to play through Kazuma Kiryu’s epic storyline.
The Yakuza Remastered Collection was initially released for PS4 last year, but with the launch of the Remastered Collection on Xbox and PC, the best way to play the iconic PlayStation franchise is now ironically within the Microsoft ecosystem. With the addition of the Yakuza Remastered Collection to Xbox Game Pass, you can now start the series from Yakuza 0 and play each game in the series on Game Pass, either on PC or on Xbox One/Series S/Series X, eventually concluding with Yakuza 6 when it hits Game Pass later this year on March 26th.
It’s also the best series you can play on Game Pass. Yakuza games have been beloved for more than a decade for good reason. They combine satisfying brawling action with well-written, unpredictable Japanese crime storylines, juxtaposed with often hilarious and memorable side stories and fun minigames, with everything from mahjong to blackjack to bowling. A Yakuza game is a completely unique experience, and while there are some repetitive elements across each individual game, each installment has enough of a distinct feel to keep things interesting.
The Remastered Collection provides just that – three remastered editions of games that released on PlayStation 3 in Japan in 2009, 2010 and 2012, respectively. Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 have not been given the same Kiwami remake treatment that Yakuza 1 and 2 received, and as such are a bit of a step backward if you’re playing the series in order. Yakuza 3 understandably looks dated even in remastered form, but it’s still an enjoyable experience. The games also retain their original combat engines and player upgrade systems. I personally missed the fighting styles system present in Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 1, but the skill trees still offer plenty of combat options in 3, 4 and 5.
You’ll spend much of your time in Kamurocho in The Remastered Collection, but 3, 4 and 5 do offer gameplay variety in the form of new locales and additional main characters. Yakuza 3 introduces Kiryu’s Morning Glory orphanage in Okinawa, and the fictional city of Ryukyu. Yakuza 4 features four playable protagonists, while Yakuza 5 – a massive game – packs five protagonists across five different cities: Kamurocho, Sotenbori, Nagasugai, Tsukimino and Kin’eicho.
If you’re new to the series, The Remastered Collection is certainly not the place to start, but despite the age of Yakuza 3 and 4 showing through in places, the Collection does a great job of tying together the series on modern consoles. If you haven’t yet taken the dive into the world of Yakuza, you’re missing out – and there’s now hundreds of hours of gameplay available on Xbox Game Pass.
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